The Palos Heights School District 128 in Chicago is using GPS technology to track its students allowing the district to keep up with the student–when he or she first entered the school bus and when the student exited the district’s care.

The contactless luggage type tag affixed to the student’s book bag is scanned as students board the bus which allows district personnel to check a secure Web site to check the child’s status.

The district has become just the second school district in the state to use GPS technology not only to track school buses, but the students who ride them. Parents can now call the school to check the minute their child arrives.

The district has assigned the tags to 400 students in preschool through 5th grade at a cost of $16,000 for the technology on 10 school buses. That includes the cards themselves, which cost $3.25 each.